[♕]– oceanclan writing ;; ❝ what can we say now? ❞

[aergia]

ｎｅｗ ｃｌａｎ ｍｅｍｂｅｒ
flames flicker in the winds of the past
word count;; 792

Screams echoed around the campsite, Emberpaw darted in between the giant rogues that were intent on destroying everything. They had gotten to Cherryleaf already, her mentors lifeless body laid by the healer’s den entrance. Her leader was nowhere to be found, she had overheard senior warriors discussing the abandonment of Sealstar in the night. She would cry out for help, but she knew none would come. Walking back deeper into the herb storage, she wondered if she could hide until they left. The screams of pain continued for hours and nightfall was soon approaching.

“Don’t think we’d forgotten about you.” A menacing voice came.

Emberpaw ran for her life but the giant tom caught her and pinned her to the ground. He was about to cut her throat when-

When she woke up, breathing heavily and sweating profusely. She rolled over in the grass of the twoleg garden she had found a moon ago and had taken to sleeping in. It was relatively safe, the twolegs owned no pets and rarely did any alleycats stumble upon it. She was safe for the first time since RiverClan had fallen. Nightmares plagued her sleep each night, but they were only nightmares. She had escaped with her life and nothing else.

The first few moons had been the hardest, she had never learnt how to hunt and relied on scavenging for much of her food. Shelter that was protected from both the elements and rogues was hard to come by and she knew not to trust any cat she met no matter how friendly they seemed.

“Shh, they’re coming.” A voice whispered before a small cat dropped down beside her.

“Who are-”

“SHH!”

A group of around a dozen cats walked past the twoleg house, even in the pale moonlight Emberpaw could see their scars through the gaps in the fence. All of them were huge battled hardened cats with the majority smelling male. Emberpaw was grateful for the warning and was about to express this when she was hushed again. A lone tabby then walked along, carefully checking each house.

“Now you can thank me.” The stranger said.

“Thank you.” Emberpaw stumbled, still shocked from the close encounter with death. She had never seen a gang patrol before, but their reputation preceded them. Either join them or die.

“Name’s Max” he said, almost smug.

“I’m Emberpaw.” She replied without thinking.

“Emberpaw? Strange name. I like it.” he said, hiding a smirk. “Sounds like that other cat in the forest, Starsteal or something like that.”

“You mean Sealstar? She’s here?” Emberpaw’s heart raced. “Where is she?”

“Woah, hold up, you know the beast that harasses anyone who goes near the forest? She’s almost as bad as the gang.”

“I do, now tell me where to find her.”

“Why should I?”

“The goodness of your heart not enough? Fine. I’ll find her on my own and be sure to mention you to her. In detail.” she threatened, not in the mood to play games.

“Hey now, no need to be like that. I’ll lead you as close to her as I know. But I am not going into that forest.” He stressed, smugness returning.

“Well, what are you waiting for?” Emberpaw said, itching to leave the twolegplace.

The two walked until dawn, careful to stay out the way of any other cats for fear they may be gang members. They left the twolegplace and continued out through meadows and farmland until Max abruptly stopped.

“This is where I leave you. One of my best mates was chased by that monster of a leader of yours here. I’m gone. Good luck.” He said before disappearing, running back to the twolegplace.

Emberpaw wandered alone now, hoping it was actually Sealstar and not some rogue with a similar name. The forest was beautiful as the sun slowly rose, covering the area in a soft orange light. A sudden yowl came from a bush and before she could react she was pinned to the ground.

“Emberpaw?” a familiar voice came.

“So it was you.” She said, struggling to her feet as Sealstar let go of her. “There’s rumours about you in the twolegplace, alleycats and loners are terrified of you.”

“They should be, always trespassing on OceanClan territory.” She muttered to herself.

“OceanClan territory?” Emberpaw was puzzled.

“I have seen the error of my ways and am beginning anew. I aim to start a new clan, a safehaven from corruption, scandals and especially death. Will you join me?” She added.

“Sealstar, I think you already know my answer. The moons I’ve lived without a clan have been the worst of my life. Besides, where else could you find a medicine cat?” she joked and followed Sealstar deeper into the forest.

[aergia]

ｎｅｗ ｃｌａｎ ｍｅｍｂｅｒ
the rains
word count;; 269

The rain was well and truly setting in for the night. The downpour seemed relentless as the forest was battered around, leaves ripped from trees as the wind continued to pick up. Somewhere down there a tiny apprentice was running away from her past, not knowing where she would end up.

Where did she end up? Well, an OceanClan border patrol. She was almost frozen when they found her hurtling through the undergrowth and quickly swept her back to camp without hesitation, most likely because it was Dawnmask leading the patrol. The rain continued to pelt down through the trees the entire way back, the patrol now abandoned in favour of rescuing the small shivering cat.

The group rushed her to Embercloud in the healing den, the most sheltered place in camp apart from the nursery and elders den. Sending all of them away, Embercloud settled in for a night of warming the young cat up.

She accepted the help of Eaglefeather and his long, soft, and importantly, dry, coat to help warm her small body up. When she awoke the next day, they all breathed a sigh of relief but then a frown of confusion when she said her name was Brightpaw.

“That’s a clan name.” Smokefang said.

“I am a clan cat. Was” She replied, weakly but still very matter of fact.

In a ridiculously short amount of time, Brightpaw joined the clan and a few moons later, after being apprenticed to Dawnmask, gained the warrior name Brightfinch in honour of the finch that she caught in her final warrior examination, thus proving her adept hunting skills.

[aergia]

ｎｅｗ ｃｌａｎ ｍｅｍｂｅｒｓ
it's better to look at the sky than live there
word count;; 680

Sealstar paced back and forth as the wind howled through the camp, twisting and turning through branches and sending leaves fluttering. Maplestorm watched her, she could tell she was anxious, especially considering it was to do with her past. She flicked her tail at the molly, trying to calm her down although it seemed pointless.

“Let all cats old enough to swim gather around HighStone.” She called loudly, pouncing up to the stone in question.

The clan had been expecting this meeting for many suns now, ever since the first refugee arrived.

“We have known about the threat from the twolegplace rogues for many moons now, since before many of you joined the ranks of OceanClan.” She began, thinking carefully about her choice of words. “Today I am proud to announce the two newest members of our clan, Tau and Harlem. Although they are still recovering from their injuries with Embercloud, we welcome them to our clan.”

Sealstar took a step forwards, beckoning Maplestorm to join her.

“Maplestorm, you have also come to our clan in a time of great need and I entrust you to become the mentor of Harlem. I trust you will teach him all you know.”

“I will Sealstar.”

Turning back to face the small crowd of cats below her, she continued. “I shall be the mentor of Tau until he receives his warrior name. Both apprentices will receive their new names tonight and begin training as soon as Embercloud has cleared them for it, in the meantime we all wish to StarClan for their speedy recovery.”

Leaping from HighStone, the meeting was officially over. Maplestorm followed her to the healers den as they looked at the two toms resting in nests besides each other. Neither had injuries that would scar but they were still only just past StarClan’s reach.

“I’m thankful you found them when you did.” Embercloud said, appearing from the back of the den with a mouthful of strong scented herbs. “They’ll both live.”

She heard Maplestorm let out a deep breath and found herself doing the same.

“Sorry I wasn’t there for the ceremony, looking after these two has taken most of my time. Tau woke up last night, frantic and confused. I told him once again where he was and he fell back asleep. They should be waking up soon however.”

Just as she said that Harlem’s tail twitched and he blinked awake. Approaching them slowly, Sealstar let Embercloud speak with them first.

“Harlem, you have come to our clan in a time of need and we vow to protect you if you swear to do the same.”

“I do.” The black tom coughed.

“I give you the apprentice name Batpaw, Maplestorm shall be your mentor and you will begin training as soon as you are ready.”

Tau was fully awake by now and she turned to him, meeting his gaze.

“Tau, you have come to our clan in a time of need and we vow to protect you if you swear to do the same.”

“Yeah, I will.” He said.

“I give you the apprentice name Dacepaw, I, Sealstar, shall be your mentor and you will begin training as soon as you are ready.”

“Thanks.” He said and rolled over. Sealstar could see him mouthing his new name, testing it out. The new names had been hard for some of the cats, Maplestorm had had a particularly difficult time adjusting from her loner name Jade.

“We’ll find out who did this to you.” Maplestorm held back a hiss as she looked at the injured toms.

Batpaw laughed. “You already know. Slash told me about you and his brother.” Pausing, he looked straight at Sealstar. “Jade’s friend Felix did this. Although he goes by Beast nowadays.”

Sealstar felt a jolt of horror creep down Maplestorm’s back as her fur stood on end. “I’m so sorry.” She said feebly before running from the den.

“It’s the truth.” Batpaw said. “The cat’s a monster and she deserves to know it.”

“I know.” Sealstar said, once again looking at the injuries across his body.

[aergia]

ｂｒｅｅｄｉｎｇ
something fishy
word count;; 946

Just before the sun set, Breamstripe heard her name called for the dusk border patrol. She groaned inwardly, it was well known that the dusk border patrol took the longest and that was on top of how unwell she was already feeling. All day her stomach had felt as if it was churning, the sparrow Batflight had brought her had only just stayed down.

“You all right to do this?” the black tom asked. Breamstripe met the worried eyes of her mate and tried to shrug it off with a forced purr before joining the last two members of the patrol and padding out of the camp.

The whole way to the northern border, Breamstripe felt as if she would be ill. She had to pause to take breathes along the way and Dawnmask, the leader of the patrol, looked on it both worry and slight annoyance.

“I’m fine, I really am. Let’s just get there before moonhigh.” She tried to joke but the words felt sour in her mouth.

The scent markings were undisturbed apart from the mild smell of rabbits, likely a group of them. Dawnmask wanted to hang around to pick up their scent to hunt them, but Breamstripe’s health was deteriorating by the minute.

“Dawnmask! We need to head back.” Batflight argued. “Just look at her, she looks as if she’ll pass out at any moment.”

“Nonsense. We came out here to check the borders and that’s what I intend to do. The clan will be happy to have rabbit too, we’ve only had fish for the past quarter-moon.”

“It doesn’t matter!” Batflight continued to argue but Breamstripe drowned them out as she collapsed by the base of a large oak tree. Daisypaw tried to comfort her but there was little the deaf apprentice could communicate to her that would help. Breamstripe motioned for her to get Batflight and Dawnmask and she happily trotted away. The joys of not being able to hear the argument.

The uneasy sensation in her stomach intensified and she quickly knew the sparrow was going to make a reappearance. Shuffling over to the bushes, she tried to put on a brave face as she turned to meet Batflight and Dawnmask’s gaze.

“Yeah, I have to agree with Batflight.” She mumbled weakly.

“I think I understand what’s happening.” Dawnmask said cryptically. “But Embercloud will know for sure. Let’s get you back to camp, I’m sure the border patrol can afford to wait a bit longer.”

The journey back was much slower with Breamstripe walking at a much slower pace than before and taking more frequent breaks. Batflight was at her side the whole time, pondering what was wrong with her, blaming the sparrow for much of his concerns.

Finally, the fields of daisies that marked the beginning of the campsite were visible under the glow of the moon. Breamstripe was now being supported by both Dawnmask and Batflight as a curious yet concerned Daisypaw went to alert Embercloud.

When the apprentice returned with the tortoiseshell molly, worry clear on her face, Breamstripe felt a sigh of relief. She was guided into the medicine den and gently placed into one of the nests, much softer and thick with moss than her usual one.

“Here, swallow these.” Embercloud said, placing three leaves besides her. “They’re burnet leaves and will help with the uneasy feeling in your stomach.”

Breamstripe struggled to swallow the leaves but had faith in Embercloud’s knowledge and abilities. She could overhear a very anxious Batflight by the entrance of the medicine cat den who was begging to come in and sit beside his made, much to Embercloud’s contempt. Feeling better already, Breamstripe called out as much to her mate.

“Fine, you can come in. I’ll break the news to both of you.” Embercloud didn’t try to hide her disdain anymore. “Never had to deal with a tom as determined as you.”

Batflight practically sprinted to her side but was careful to only touch her gently with his tail. Embercloud padded over much more slowly, pushing various herbs away as she did so. Daisypaw had been apprenticed to her for just under a moon and had greatly helped the medicine cat with organising the den, but when she made the choice to become a warrior Embercloud was left all to herself again.

“Feeling better?” she asked her.

“Much.” Breamstripe responded, the sick sensation was still there but much, much deeper.

“What’s wrong with her? Will she be okay? I knew she shouldn’t have gone on that patrol. You agree with me right Embercloud?” Batflight asked a flurry of questions all at once.

“I do agree with you; the border patrol is no place for a queen.” Embercloud said, purring slowly.

“A queen?” Breamstripe said, shock evident in her voice.

“Yes, you are going to have kits, probably sometime next moon. I recommend you move into the nursery tomorrow. And no, you can’t go with her Batflight.” She laughed.

Batflight, who had not yet said a single word, suddenly let out a long, very loud, purr and rubbed his face against Breamstripe’s.

“We’re having kits!” he yelled.

“Oh StarClan.” Breamstripe said, unable to speak further.

“Now, let her rest. She can stay here tonight but I expect you to be a good mate and help her into the nursery tomorrow.”

“Yes, yes, yes of course! I won’t let her move a muscle.”

Embercloud chuckled as she rushed the tom out of the den. “Now let her rest. Her body will be exhausted.”

As if her body was listening, Breamstripe immediately felt much more tired. Laying down, she dreamt of the future she would have with Batflight and their kits.

[aergia]

ｂｒｅｅｄｉｎｇ
emotions
word count;; 609

The thrills of love ignited a fire deep within Maplestorm which brought her back to her youth. Every time she looked at Sedgefur, the love of her life, she remembered the adventures they had together, both good and bad. His curly brown fur warmed her through the coldest nights and although his duties as deputy were important, he always made time to look out for her. She was the most loved she had ever been.

She thought of him at such peculiar times of day that it was starting to become weird. Just as she pouned on a sparrow, her mind would wander to him and the life they shared together. Seeing the clouds sprinkle rain down onto the ground, giving life to the nature and other creatures she shared the forest with. Fishing from the rapid stream that ran through the territory, making sure her shadow didn’t spook the fish.

To Maplestorm, Sedgefur is home. Wherever he is, she is too. Wherever she goes, he will follow. Together they meld perfectly in unison to the other, each a reflection of the types of love they felt deep down. He would protect her as she would for him, she would care for him as he would for her; it had been like this for seasons.

Thoughts of their life before rarely stumbled into her mind and they were always unwelcome. Change was good for them, they were free from toxicity and able to express their love to each other where nobody would try to hold them back. Nobody would threaten them or their love ever again. Maplestorm vowed to this.


When Sedgefur looked at Maplestorm he felt the pangs of love and loss deep within him. She was a reflection into the past, their joint misery, and all the ways they had recovered. For Sedgefur, Maplestorm was the reason he was alive. Without her, he would be nothing more than a cruel uncaring monster. A beast.

He dispelled unwelcome memories as she walked his way, purring as they interlocked tails.

“Is everything okay?” he asked. She had been feeling unwell this morning and had spent been in the healer’s den until sunhigh. His voice was laced with concern, if anything happened to Maplestorm he didn’t know what he would do with himself.

He and Maplestorm were more than mates, they were bonded so tightly together that the separate them one must be in StarClan. If anything happened to Maplestorm he wasn’t sure what he would do. She was his everything, and if his everything died…

He would cope. Her memory would be honoured and he would accept that he would never love another as he had loved her, but he would not succumb to his despair. Then, when the time finally came, they would walk together in StarClan, never separated again.

“Woah calm down Sedgefur, I’m completely healthy.” Maplestorm laughed.

“Completely healthy? I find that hard to believe. You were sickly all night and no better this morning.” Sedgefur said, shock lacing his voice. He had been sure something was wrong.

“They’re just an indicator of my condition.” Maplestorm laughed.

“Condition? What’s wrong? Are you in pain? Will you be okay?” his voice was frantic in contrast to Maplestorm’s chill.

“Embercloud says it’s nothing to worry about. All expecting queens have these types of symptoms.”

That was when Sedgefur felt the air in his mouth hitch and he almost choked.

“Expecting queen?” he choked out. “You mean? You’re? We’ll be?” I’m going to? he tried to say.

“You’re going to be a father, Sedgefur.” Maplestorm laughed. “I’m expecting kits. Don’t worry, you’ll made a great dad.”

Then, Sedgefur fainted.